MOSCOW, September 26 (RIA Novosti) - Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy made a historic 22-mile flight from France to the U.K. using a homemade jet-propelled wing on Friday, Swiss media reported.
Rossy, a 49-year-old Swiss airline pilot, made a 10-minute flight from Calais to Dover using a carbon composite-wing propelled by four kerosene-burning jet turbines. The device weighs 55 kilograms (121 pounds) when loaded with fuel.
The backpack plane has to be launched from a height of around 8,000 feet, and the pilot needs a parachute to land. It has no controls and has to be steered by the movement of the pilot's body.
The pilot has to wear a fire-resistant suit to protect from the hot exhaust coming from the jet engines.
Rossy says he intends to invent a machine capable of vertical takeoff for commercial production.
